Adoption and the Birth Family
Often times, the biggest obstacle for families that adopt a child is to accept that their new child has other parents (birth parents) as well and to be able to discuss their child’s birth parents with their child. Whether or not adoptive parents are comfortable with it, their child will always have birth parents who will always be a part of his or her life.
It is very important for adoptive parents to let their children know that talking about both their adoptive family and their birth family is okay. Many children who are adopted have shared that, growing up, they did not feel that it was acceptable to openly talk about their adoption. These conversations, however, about the adoption, often bond adoptive parents and children when they take the time to discuss their feelings and thoughts about the process, and lessens the likelihood of these children growing up and feeling unable to trust others, and to have insecurities and separation from their adoptive families. It is also important for children to know about their birth parents.
Creating a positive image of the birth parents of your child is vital for adoptive parents to do, even when the real image may not be a positive one. Children who are adopted at a very young age may not completely understand adoption until they are about 7 years old. Parents should discuss the idea of adoption occasionally to help their child better understand it and so they still know about their birth parents. Creating a positive image of the birth parents will prevent the child from believing that he or she is bad because the birth parents are bad. Telling the story of the adoption, beginning with the birth parents, all the way through how the child joined the adoptive family will also help the child to understand the concept.
According to Illinois law, certain information is required to be provided to adoptive parents prior to the placement date, if it is available. It is particularly important for adoptive parents to receive medical and psychological information about their child.
If you are in the process of adopting a child and are not allowed access to the birth parents information concerning the child, contact a family law attorney today. The Law Offices of Douglas B. Warlick & Associates will help you get the information you need for your child.
